Faction The Need to Feed (open to Eternal Empire)

[Eskk Jannik]

Eskk didnt know why he was surprised. He had expected his target to stand and fight, but she was just running again. Though her sarcastic response had amused Eskk he felt deflated. He had put all that work into his entrance just for her and she was running again. So much for this being the final confrontation that Eskk had imagined.

Oh well, he reasoned, sometimes predators have to give chase. Eskk took off after his target going in through the same window that she had only a few seconds behind her. As he hit the hallway he looked both ways until he saw her and took off after her.

Eskk began to yank doors open ahead of her with the force trying to slow her progress.

Loreena Arenais-Valhoun

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

"Oh come on!"

Lori didn't expect Eskk Jannik to follow her. At best she figured he'd be like most Imperials and just send the troopers after her, to which she had her own plan to slip past them. But no. The Loyalist took to going after her himself. And what was worse was that he was a Force user.

She weaved around the opening doors as she ran and it indeed slowed her down. Lori opened fire, sending blasterbolts at random over her shoulder to at least try to spoil his concentration. Then she opened a door at the end of the hall that led to the stairwell and started down them in a hurry, looking over the railing for signs of troopers, yet she wasn't entirely sure if they had full access to the building.

 

[Eskk Jannik]

Eskk continued running after Loreena Arenais-Valhoun . The opening doors did the job of slowing her down allowing him to gain some time. Then she started shooting in his general direction. The blaster bolts werent aimed, so many of them passed him harmlessly, but Eskk still had to repurpose his concentration into anticipating and deflecting the ones that did come close.with his lightsaber.

He deflected most of them harmlessly into the hallway walls which caught on fire as the energy bolts burned into them. Eskk spoke into the communicator embedded into his robe collar. "All imperial forces in the immediate vicinity are ordered to surround the apartment building the subject has fled into. Guard every exit. Shoot on sight."

His target stopped at the door to the stairwell and opened it. Eskk took this time to deflect one of the blaster bolts she had fired at her legs and continued to run after her, closing more of the distance between them.

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori's heart was beating hard in her chest as she ran. And it was shock and adrenalin that kept her leaping down the stairs four at a time. She didn't even notice the scorch on her right leg from the stray blaster bolt. At least not yet.

The voice of Eskk Jannik calling on the troopers to surround the building and shoot her wasn't of much help either. He was gaining on her and it wouldn't be long now before he could tackle her.

Lori jumped over the railing. She was only two stories up, so it wasn't too hard of a fall. Landing in a crouch, her body absorbed the impact. Then she turned and pointed her blaster up towards Eskk. "Look, I haven't done anything illegal here. So let me be!" A stupid statement nonetheless, but she wanted to buy herself some time.

 

[Eskk Jannik]

Eskk was breathing hard after the exertion. He wasnt used to chasing someone like this. Especially after a night of no sleep. This type of work was for the average trooper, but Eskk was determined not to let her get away from him again.

Eskk continued to follow her down the staircase. Where as she took the stairs four at a time, Eskk was paranoid about spraining his ankle on the staircase, so he simply descended them one at a time as fast as he could. This allowed her to gain some distance on him, but not much due to the recoil she would suffer from jumping.

Once she got to the second floor, she jumped over the railing and dropped. Eskk got to the railing and had been about to jump down after her, but stopped in his tracks when he noticed the blaster pointed up at him. He raised his lightsaber in a defensive gesture and listened to her speak.

Ah yes, Eskk thought to himself, the bargaining stage. The target must have realized the hopelessness of her situation.

Eskk took a second to catch his breath before responding. "Nothing illegal," Eskk repeated part of her statement. "You attempted to purchase an illegally modified spacecraft from the fat man at the spaceport."

"Granted," Eskk continued, "that type of minor infraction hardly warrants this type of response. However, you're a high priority target wanted for the murder of the Emporer. I know you heard me give orders to my men. You know what's waiting for you on the other side of that door. There's only two ways out of this for you. Come back upstairs to the shuttle with me. Id rather take you into custody alive. It looks better on me. Help me help you, Loreena Arenais-Valhoun ."

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori kept her blaster trained on Eskk Jannik . At first she thought his ramblings about illegal modifications was stupid. She wasn't a citizen of the Empire. She wasn't bound by their laws!!

And then came the statement about her murdering the Emperor. That was such a farce and utter lie! But just as with her being labelled as a terrorist, this was something that she had to carry with her for a long time.

That is until the Empire was destroyed.

"I know exactly what'll happen! The same as before! I'll be given a sham trial and sent off to some labour camp or something. I didn't kill the Emperor and all of your bosses know it! I'm just a scapegoat, a cover up for what was really going on!" Lori wasn't quite out of options yet. She focused on the air particles in front of her, sending them spinning quickly until another small ball of light was formed. She quickly covered her eyes and let it explode in front of Eskk, before running back up the stairs three at a time and past him. If she could get to that shuttle, then maybe she could fly outta here.

 

[Eskk Jannik]

The girl had used the trick with the ball of light again. Eskk hated that trick. Still, he had been half expecting it. As rapidly as it worked, there was nothing Eskk could do to prevent being temporarily blinded.

Eskk staggered back against the wall, exaggerating the effect the trick had upon him. Really, he was getting into position for his next move. Eskk's other senses were still intact, so he listened and waited.

He timed the intervals between each clunk as she hopped up the stairs towards him and judged the proximity of each thud. Using this metric, when he guessed she was just about to pass him, Eskk dropped into a crouch and executed a low sweeping kick, trying to knock her legs out from underneath her.

Eskk's vision would return momentarily.
Loreena Arenais-Valhoun

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori couldn't help but grin to herself as she bounded up the stairwell, seeing that Eskk Jannik was once again blinded. She was sure that it was him that was at the space port now and she was lucky that there was nothing in the building that would prevent her from using the Force.

But her cockiness didn't help her much. As she went by him he dropped and kicked. With her already being in mid air, she couldn't avoid his leg. Lori braced herself as she fell up into the stairs, wincing as her shins hit the top ledge of one of them. "Ooof!!" Oh that was going to leave a couple of bruises. Without a second to spare, she went up the steps on all fours, wanting to get some distance between them, and getting ready to kick back at him should he try to grab her legs. A clanging sound was heard with each step as she still clung onto her blaster, ready to open fire if need be.

One thing was for certain. Whenever she gets out of there she is going to avoid EE space for a while. At least then she'd be safer.

 

[Eskk Jannik]

Eskk's felt his leg connect and heard the thud of the woman fall. He blinked his eyes several times. The vision finally returned. She was still clamboring to get away from him. The sight almost made him laugh.

She was his now, she just didn't know it yet. Eskk walked over to the metal guard rail of the stairs and used his lightsaber to cut a section off about as wide as the stair case. It immediately started to fall down but Eskk reached out and grabbed it with the force.

He positioned it over the center of the girl's back and using the force slammed it down on her hard. As it pinned the girl to the ground he would bend the edges around her attempting to bind her with it so that she could not use her arms.

Loreena Arenais-Valhoun

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori didn't see that one coming. The fact that her back was towards him didn't help her either. She heard him cut the railing with the lightsaber, but didn't even think to look behind her. She just wanted to get as much space between them as she could.

The railing slammed into her back, catching her by surprise as she yelped! Once again she hit the stairs, but this time didn't get the moment to brace herself. At least her Rebel Armour absorbed some of the impact, but still, it wasn't pleasant. The noise coming from the rail bending around her got her to at least bring her blaster arm up so that it wouldn't get caught too. Then she rolled over onto her back and opened fire at his head.

Lori wasn't afraid. She was frustrated at how relentless Eskk Jannik was. And she had no idea of what Force abilities that he had. "You're not being very helpful!!

 

[Eskk Jannik]

Eskk hadn't been prepared for her to roll over and fire. He couldn't get his lightsaber up in time to deflect the first bolt. It burned into his Durasteel facemask. The facemask was just thick enough to stop the blaster bolt from burning through into his face and potentially killing him. It did cause molten metal to leak onto his face. Eskk screeched in pain and took several steps back.

His vision in one eye had become fuzzy, but he was just barely able to intercept the second blaster bolt and deflect it harmlessly away. The pain made it difficult to concentrate so further use of the force was unavailable at this time.

Instead Eskk drew his own blaster with his free hand and fired three shots aiming to shoot the woman's blaster out of her hand.

Loreena Arenais-Valhoun

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Of COURSE Eskk Jannik had a blaster. Why wouldn't he? Lori was just too trained on his lightsaber that she didn't even expect the blaster to come up, let alone have it open fire on her hand. Her instincts weren't quick enough and her blaster was struck, making it useless. Well, there was still one use for it....

Lori threw it at his helmet, giving herself a bit of time to get to her feet. She had the high ground! She was supposed to win!! Isn't that what usually happened?? Well, not so much in Lori's case. She tended to be the exception to the rule, whether that was by her choice or not. Still, she started walking backwards up the stairs, keeping Eskk always in her sight. "I didn't murder your Emperor! Do you know how many months it's been since we were even on the same planet?? Come on! Do you really think that some little girl like me could take down your Emperor? I mean, seriously?? Yes he's old and cranky, but still....he didn't exactly gain his leadership through chit chats over tea!"

 

[Eskk Jannik]

Eskk didnt even bother to block the thrown blaster. It impacted his facemask and bounced off with a loud clang. The force of the impact caused him to pause for a second but then he started to walk up the stairs after the girl matching her speed. He intended to conserve his last bit of remaining energy in case she tried to run.

"It makes no difference to me whether your guilty or not," Eskk responded truthfully, "I wouldnt even be interested in apprehending you if you hadn't interfered in the alleyway with that girl. You made it personal when you got between me and my meal. You dont mess with a man's food."

Eskk stopped speaking for a moment. His vision in the one eye was still blurry and he had to focus on the other eye to accurately predict his target. "It's my job to capture you, but id love to hear all about your side of the story in an interrogation cell. I'm tired of this game, youre out of options. Surrender immediately."

"If you try to run again, I'm going to cut off your legs with my lightsaber," Eskk threatened her. "I dont think your boyfriend would appreciate that. If you try the trick with the ball of light, I'm going to start firing my blaster as soon as I even think youre doing it."

Loreena Arenais-Valhoun

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori's jaw dropped. "You were going to EAT her?!" Eskk Jannik was a monster. Plain and simple.

She contemplated knocking him down the stairs with a big Force Push. There was no way that he could stop that from happening. But the stupid metal railing wrapped around her would only hinder her escape. Even if she could make it to the roof, trying to hijack the shuttle and fly it out of there would be very difficult.

"If it makes no difference to you whether I'm guilty or not, then why bother with the interrogation at all?" Lori kept moving up the stairs, hoping that she wouldn't trip as she did so. His answer to his question would surely let her know what was in store for her. It wasn't the first time that she had been captured by the Empire, nor would it be the last.

 

[Eskk Jannik]

"Only her delicious brains," Eskk clarified. He was rather enjoying the incredulous look of horror on his target's face. It almost made this whole exertion worth it in his mind. "I was thinking about eating you instead after you saved her. That was my plan at the spaceport. That was my plan until I found out you were a career oppurtunity for me."

Eskk continued up the steps, you misunderstand me about my apathy. You're charged with a crime. It's my job to bring you in regardless of whether your guilty or not. Then it becomes my job to determine the truth. One of the methods used to determine the truth is interrogation. You'll be transfered to an imperial prison while my superiors decide what to do with you, but before that you'll be under my care. I'll make sure you recieve medical treatment for that blaster wound in your leg and any other injuries you may have sustained."

Loreena Arenais-Valhoun

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

"Oh gee, lucky for me....Why don't you try a bantha steak instead? Much better for you." It didn't matter if Eskk Jannik was after her for food or anything else. He was still after her. And he seemed the type to hold a grudge for quite a while.

Lori looked over her shoulder as they neared the top of the steps, listening as he tried to provide her with some details about what was to happen to her. Of course all of that could be a bold faced lie. "Been there, done that, didn't like it. I don't exactly trust the Empire to do anything but make a spectacle out of me and use me against the Rebels. That's what they always do!"

 

[Eskk Jannik]

"Well you don't have a choice this time," Eskk responded flatly. He reached out with the force, slamming the door to the hallway at the top of the stairs shut. "There's no where to go now," he told her.

"Its time to give it up," Eskk declared. "You're only hope now is to be rescued at some point along the path you are about to take. I'm tired of this game though, so give it up or I'm abput to make good on my promise to cut off your legs."

"Id prefer you just surrendered," Eskk stated. It's not that I have an issue with cutting off your legs, I just don't want to have to drag your legless body all the way to the shuttle. So, what's your answer Loreena Arenais-Valhoun ?

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori shut her eyes as the door slammed shut behind her. At least this time she wasn't being recorded. At least this time she wasn't going to be used as a scapegoat for slaughter. There was no slaughter this time. There was only her. That had to account for something. And she wasn't being reckless either. She was just...trying to get a new ship.

"I'd rather have all my limbs in tact. Thanks..." Her eyes reopened and she just stared blankly ahead as she stopped moving. Her gaze was on Eskk Jannik , yet she wasn't really looking at him. Moreso she was looking through him as her thoughts raced inwards. "I guess you win....for now." There was still a lot of fight in her, but she knew that she had to restrain herself. Other opportunities would arise. For now she needed to be healed up and collect herself. The Empire wouldn't risk killing her and making her a martyr. But that didn't mean that they couldn't think of fates that were far worse.

 

[Eskk Jannik]

Ah, victory! Eskk thought to himself. He was thrilled and at last she belonged to him. He deactivated his lightsaber and clipped it to his belt. Beeping his blaster trained on her and his finger on the trigger, he ascended the remaining stairs up to where she was.

First he took her outstretched arm and snapped one half of a pair of stun cuffs on it. Eskk used the force to twist the piece of metal he had trapped with the opposite way and then let it crash. To the floor.

No sooner had she been freed from the metal then Eskk turned her around and pushed her up against the wall facing away from him. In his enthusiasm, the shove may have been a little rough. Eskk didnt care. The woman had shot him in the face, so all was even, he reasoned.

Eskk brought her free hand down and hooked it into the other half of the pair of stun cuffs, as he pressed the barrel of the blaster into the middle of her back. Once she was secure, Eskk bolstered the blaster and grabbed onto the stun cuffs with one hand with the other hand, he proceded to frisk search her for any other weapons. It was a very friendly frisk, Eskk wanted to make her uncomfortable but he also wanted to make sure he found any other weapons she may have concealed.

Loreena Arenais-Valhoun

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori breathed a little easier once she was released from the railing. But that was short lived as Eskk Jannik pressed her up against the wall. She managed to turn her head in time to save herself the trouble of having a bloody nose. "Easy!" Despite knowing that her comments would fall upon deaf ears, she still made them anyways.

She clenched her jaw as the stun cuffs bound her hands, and even through her armour, she could feel the blaster at her back. Eskk wasn't taking any chances it seemed. Especially with this career boost of his. And then came the frisking. The only hidden weapons that Lori had was the daggers in her boots. Other than that she only every carried her blaster and her lightsaber. It was a unique blade with a Duhgee crystal that gave it a lightning bolt tip that was silver at the core and light blue lining it. The hilt was made of pieces of her Dad's Star Destroyer, as well as other bits from her homeworld of Commenor.

"You're going to have to watch your back from here on out. I hope you realize that. You won't be able to get away with this."